Improvement in railroad-signals



R. H. MOORE.

Railroad Signal.

Patented Julyfi} 1875.1

No'.l66,024

NPETZRS, PHOTO UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c.

RICHARD H. MOORE, OF GROESBEGK,OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 66,024, dated July 27,1875; application filed J une 4, 1875.

- gong, located either at a station or roadcrossing, and adapted to bestruck or rung by suitable tappets or other appliances, with which thewheels of the approaching train come in contact; and my improvementcomprises an arrangement of devices which, while insuring the utmostpromptness and reliability in announcing the approach of a train, areentirely inactive when the train is receding.

By this arrangement thereis no possibility of the train ever sounding afalse alarm, which would, of course, frustrate the very object of theapparatus, and convert it into an agent of danger.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved railwaysignal, the operative parts being shown in their normalpositions. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing the position theoperative parts assume when acted upon by the carwheels. Fig. 3 is avertical section, showing the position the tappet assumes when struck bythe wheels of a train moving away from the station or crossing. Fig. atis a plan of the bell-striking apparatus.

A A represent the two rails of a track, and B a station or crossing.Located outside of the track, and at any suitable distance from thestation or crossing, say from a quarter to half a mile, is a pit, C, inone corner of which is rigidly secured a housing, D, whose base d isbolted to the sills or floor of said pit. Fitted within this housing,andadapted to have a vertically-reciprocating movement, is a shaft, E,to whose upper end is pivoted, at e, the tappet F, having a lateralprojection, G, whose exposed face is beveled at g. The tappet Fisrecessed or notched at f, to receive the shank h of a buffer, H, whichmay be composed of wood, india-rubber, or compressed leather. The objectof this buffer is toprevent the operative parts being injured by theviolent im pact of the car-wheels. The buffer is secured in its properposition by a pin or bolt, I. J

is a small pit or excavation made alongside the track A, to allow theproper motion of tappet F G, as hereinafter explained. The shaft E isrecessed longitudinally at K, to receive a plate-spring, L, whose upperor free end bears against a spur, l, at the heel of tappet F, in suchmanner as to maintain said tappet in a vertical position, except when itis deflected to the left by the wheels of a train leaving the station orcrossing. Engaging with a suitable notch or hearing, against a shoulderon the shaft E, is the free end of a spring, M, whose fixed end issecured, to the floor of pit (J. The free end of this spring traverses alongitudinal slot, 61, in the hou s ing D, and the stress of said springacts to elevate the shaft E with its hinged tappet F G. Projecting fromshaft E, at right angles to track A, is an arm, N,that traverses a slot,o,'in the cap 0 of the housing. Attached to the outer end of this arm isa rod, chain, or wire, a, that communicates with a bell-crank, P, fromwhich another wire or rod, 19, extends to a second bell-crank, P. Thesetwo bellcranks are, respectively, pivoted to the pitwall at c c.Extending upwardly from bellcrank P is a wire, Q, which communicateswith an elevated bell-crank, R, the latter being pivoted at s to abearing, 8, secured to the top of the post S. From this last-mentionedbellcrank R a wire, T, extends to the bell-ringing apparatus. Thisbell-ringing or gong-sounding apparatus. is titted to a cap, plate, orbracket, U, which surmouuts a post, u, the latter being located at anysuitable or convenient distance from the pit O. Projecting verticallyfrom bracket U is a shaft, u, that supports the bell or gong V, theposition of the latter being indicated by the circular dotted lines inFig. 4. Fitted within plate U are two stirrups, W W, of which onestirrup, W, acts as a pivot for the hammer X of the bell V, while theotherstirrup, W, has secured to it one end of a coiled spring, Y, whoseother end is fastened to the hammer X, with which, also, the wire Tcommunicates.

Z may represent one of the wheels of an approaching train.

0: represents a guard-rail, applied just inside of rail A, so as toinsure the wheel Z acting upon the tappet F G.

In constructing this alarm it is desirable that the location of pit 0shall be sufficiently remote from the station or crossing to give timelyintimation of an approaching train. This distancemiay vary from a fewhundred yards to a quarter or half a mile, according to circumstancesand surroundings.

When the housing D is fitted in the pit, care must be taken to have thebeveled surface 9 of the tappet F G presented away from the station orcrossing, in order that the alarm shall signal only approaching trains.Having observed this simple precaution, the fitting up of the rest ofthe apparatus is a very easy matter, it being necessary only to see thatthe wire T is of such a length as to insure the spring Y holding thehammer X in contact with the right side of the bell V, as seen in Fig.4.

If a train now approach station or crossing B in the direction shown byarrow in Fig. 2, it is evident that the wheel Z will strike beveledsurface g, and thus gradually, but at the same time quickly, depress thetappet F and its supporting-shaft E, the spring M readily-yielding toallow this depression to take place. This depression of shaft E serves,through the instrumentality of arm N, bell cranks P P R, and wiresQ T,to swing the hammer X to the left, as indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 4, and thus strike one blow upon the bell.

As the pressure of the passing car-wheel is exerted but for a momentupon the tappet F, it is evident that the spring M will instantlyrestore the shaftE and its attachments to their normal or elevatedpositions as soon as said tappet is free from the wheel; which havingbeen accomplished, the spring Y swings the hammer X to the right, andstrikes a second blow upon the bell or gong. This act of automatioallydepressing and elevating the shaft '13, so as to strike two distinctblows for the passageof each wheel, gives ample warning of the rate ofmovement and size of the approaching train.

When a train departs from th station-as, for example, in the directionindicated by arrow in Fig. 3-the car-wheel Z, striking the buffer H,simply deflects the tappet F to the left without depressing the shaft E,and, consequently, no false alarm is sounded by the cars. The moment thetappet F G is relieved from the pressure of the car-wheel the stress ofthe spring L causes the member F totnrn upon its pivot 0, so as toresume the vertical position.

Instead of the plate-spring M for operating the shaft E, the latter mayrest upon an elliptical or other spring, or said shaft may be sustainedand restored by means ofa helical spring coiled around it; or said shaftmay be restored to its normal position by a weighted cord and pulley;Similarly, the tappet F G may be maintained in position by means of anyother suitable form of spring, or by a weighted cord or chain.

-When the station is located near a curve the wire T, instead offollowing the track, may be stretched in a direct line across thefields, and thus save a quantity of wire and supportingposts andsheaves, and also in friction.

It is understood that the pit G is to be closed as soon as the apparatusis set up, which closure may be effected with a hinged door, the openingof which would allow access to the pit, either for lubricating,inspecting, or adjusting any of the operative parts. By simply removingthe screw I an old and worn buffer may be readily removed, and an unusedone substituted for it. A swinging-bell, supported upon a coiled springor other suitable bearings,

may be substituted for the fixed one V.

It is, of course, intended that the device shall be in duplicate at eachstation, so as to nIoHDf H. MOORE.

Attest:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, JOHN 0. HEAD.

